Leaders Hoping to Revitalize Blighted Area of Spartanburg

A college's pivotal decision to build a medical school in the middle of a downtrodden, poverty-ridden area could ultimately be the impetus for the Northside's revival.

City and community leaders labeled the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine a "game changer" for the neighborhood — in particular about 350 acres defined by Howard and North Church streets. The $30 million investment turned the former Spartan Mills site into the medical school's Carolinas campus.